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Force India’s Mallya says team made right call in bringing back driver Sutil

March 12, 2013

Adrian Sutil is back with Force India Formula One team. He drove for the team from 2008 through 2011. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Force India team principal Dr. Vijay Mallya is confident that his Formula One race team made the right decision in re-hiring driver Adrian Sutil, who drove for the team from 2008 through 2011.

Sutil eventually beat out Jules Bianchi to serve as Paul Di Resta’s teammate after a lengthy debate by the team owner and his partners. Bianchi went on to sign with Marussia F1.

“I am very happy about our driver lineup and I am particularly delighted to welcome Adrian back to the team,” Mallya said. “Over the winter, we thought long and hard about the decision, but I’m sure we have made the right choice. Adrian is very quick and has a great history with the team -- he has been with us from the very start and is truly part of the family. Everyone was impressed by his performance during winter testing in Barcelona. He was able to deliver great pace right away.

“Paul has matured into a very good driver and in his third season with us we are confident he will deliver the results his talent warrants. He has gelled with the team perfectly and following a strong winter he is well prepared for a great season. Adrian and Paul make up the driver pairing that brought us to our best-ever championship result in 2011 and there is no reason why we can’t have a similar result this year.”

Mallya says he’s confident that the team has a good car.

“The VJM06 has shown excellent reliability in winter testing,” he said. “The rules haven’t changed much from 2012 and everyone in the team is confident we can pick up where we left off at the end of last season. The first race of the season on a track like Melbourne is always a lottery. If any of the front-runners stumble, we will be ready to pounce.”